Cellentani pasta (cavatappi pasta noodles vegetarian recipe) in creamy tomato pasta sauce made with roasted cherry tomatoes is very delicious, vegetarian meal and so easy to make.
I didn’t add any cheese to this as it was already creamy without cheese, but you may also add shredded cheese to this (I recommend Mexican cheese blend or cheddar) if you want to make this even more rich.
What Is Cellentani Pasta?
Cellentani pasta is kind of tubular pasta which is very good to make pasta dishes.
I love the texture of these tubular pasta shells as they hold their shape very well during cooking, and so they are perfect for pasta salads or other pasta dishes.
You can try cellentani pasta if you have never tried before and I hope you will love it too just like I do!
Is Cellentani Pasta The Same As Cavatappi Pasta?
Yes, cellentani pasta is the same as cavatappi pasta.
It is a popular Italian pasta which is used in many pasta dishes and its perfect for making pasta dishes due to its unique shape.
The pasta shells or noodles won’t easily break during cooking or mixing and you will find it easier to make pasta dishes using cavatappi pasta.
I have also made this baked pasta with spinach leaves using cavatappi pasta noodles which is a super easy no boil vegetarian pasta dish which you can make in your oven exclusively.
Cavatappi is a more popular term or name used for this beautiful Italian pasta, however there are many other names used to refer to it, including cellentani pasta.
Tips To Make Best Cellentani Pasta In Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
If you have cherry tomatoes, roast them in the oven for few minutes until they pop and the juice burst out, then cook the pasta (I used cellentani cavapasta which is also known by the name cavatappi pasta as I mentioned earlier) along with some fresh or frozen peas first.
Then drain the cooked pasta, mix with pasta sauce like marinara sauce (I used store bought tomato basil pasta sauce) and also with the roasted cherry tomatoes and a little heavy cream and enjoy!
This is super easy to make and very delicious too!
You can make this for a quick weeknight dinner or you can make this overnight and pack this for lunch box to school or office the next day (make sure to refrigerate overnight if you want to pack this the next day).
The best thing about this creamy tomato pasta is that it is so simple and easy to prepare and it is so delicious and moderately healthy too!
This is a vegetarian tomato cellentani pasta (cavatappi) recipe. If you are vegan, you may use cashew cream instead of regular heavy cream.
I used barilla cellentani pasta for this recipe, which I like very much.
I have found that this pasta shape holds the shape very well during the cooking, even if you cook for a couple of minutes extra it doesn’t become mushy fast or lose its shape.
Since this holds the shape very well during cooking, I think the cavatappi pasta will be very good for making pasta salads as well!
Due to the unique shape of the cavatappi pasta, it won’t break easily, and it won’t get mushy with mixing too, so I like it very much in my pasta recipes!
I prepared this creamy tomato pasta in the steel dutch oven that I have and it worked really well. You can use any good pot or large saucepan that you have that you usually use for cooking pasta.
See more pasta recipes here:
easy lasagna recipe without ricotta cheese
easy baked mac and cheese no boil (without roux)
easy delicious bell pepper pasta recipe
parsley pasta in white garlic sauce
masala pasta topped with roasted cauliflower florets
spaghetti rigati with chickpeas and spinach leaves
How To Make Cellentani Pasta In Creamy Tomato Sauce?
I used the following ingredients to make this delicious, creamy vegetarian cavatappi pasta.
cellentani pasta (cavatappi pasta shells)
cherry tomatoes may use little more if you like
fresh or frozen peas
water
olive oil or butter
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
heavy cream
marinara pasta sauce
Step by step instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit and bake the cherry tomatoes in oven for about 10 minutes until they starts to burst (you can layer the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a baking pan sprinkled with salt and spices like garlic powder, onion powder etc as you like).
Once the cherry tomatoes are roasted, transfer the roasted tomatoes immediately out of the oven and keep aside.
Cook the pasta in enough water and salt, following the directions in the package.
I also added the peas along with the pasta which got cooked along with the pasta.
Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain the hot water and add olive oil, and mix with the pasta.
Also gently mash the roasted cherry tomatoes, but leaves a little chunks as they are tasty.
Add enough pasta sauce to the cooked pasta and peas, and also add the roasted cherry tomatoes and heavy cream, mix until all ingredients are combined well.
Creamy and delicious tomato cellentani pasta or cavatappi pasta is ready!
Below you can read the full cellentani pasta recipe in detail.
Cellentani Pasta In Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce – Cavatappi Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz cellentani pasta (cavatappi pasta)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes may use little more if you like
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- water as needed to cook the pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt as needed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit.
- Layer the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a baking pan, sprinkle little salt (and also little onion powder and garlic powder if you wish).
- Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted and starts to burst the juice out.
- Once the cherry tomatoes are roasted, keep it aside.
- Boil the pasta in enough water and salt, following the directions in the package( I also added the peas along with the pasta so it got cooked along with the pasta, but if you wish you can cook the pasta separately too.)
- Add the fresh or frozen peas also to the boiling pasta, mix well.
- Once the pasta and peas are cooked, drain the hot water and add the olive oil, mix well (adding oil to the hot pasta will help to prevent the pasta shells keeping together).
- Meanwhile, gently mash the roasted cherry tomatoes (you don’t have to mash it well, just need to give a gentle press with a spoon so they remain chunky).
- Add the pasta sauce to the cooked pasta and peas, and also add the roasted cherry tomatoes and heavy cream, mix until all ingredients are combined well. Now the delicious and creamy tomato pasta is ready to be enjoyed!!
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